SGT. 1ST CLASS MARK R. COLEMAN
Bangor Daily News
Posted May 20, 2012
MONTVILLE – Sgt. 1st Class and Maine State Trooper Mark R. Coleman, 54, passed away May 17, 2012, in Castle Point, N.Y., after a lengthy illness. Mark was born Oct. 16, 1957, in Concord, Mass. Mark was an airborne medic with the 11th Special Forces Group and most recently with the 181st Infantry Regiment. He later worked at Maine State Prison as a prison guard and bloodhound handler with his beloved dog, Jesse. He then worked as Maine state trooper with Troop D. In his spare time, Mark was a Scoutmaster for Pack 39 in Liberty/Montville, but most of all enjoyed spending time with his family at Chatham on Cape Cod, Mass. Mark is survived by his loving wife... sons... two brothers, a sister; a special niece... as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews... In lieu of flowers and keeping with Mark’s love for dogs, memorial contributions may be made to Humane Society – Waterville Area, 100 Webb Road, Waterville, ME 04901... [Full obituary here]
Because well-respected Maine State Trooper Mark Coleman was not correctly diagnosed initially, he found himself in legal trouble after an uncharacteristic incident, helpless against his own brain disease. He was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder but suffering from a frontotemporal dementia disease. Others may also be facing behaviors in themselves or loved ones that don't fit and hopefully as information on this disease is made more common, early interventions for others will be possible and helpful in controlling the symptoms.
Mayo Clinic - Frontotemporal Dementia: Frontotemporal dementia (frontotemporal lobar degeneration) is an umbrella term for a diverse group of uncommon disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain... Some people with frontotemporal dementia undergo dramatic changes in their personality... Frontotemporal dementia is often misdiagnosed as a psychiatric problem or as Alzheimer's disease... The most common signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve extreme changes in behavior and personality...
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration is the place to turn for accurate information, compassion and hope...
NIH Fact Sheets - Frontotemporal Disorders: Until recently, many of these conditions were routinely misdiagnosed as AD or a psychiatric disorder, and very little was known about the underlying pathologies of the frontotemporal disorders.... In a very short period of time we have made tremendous inroads into understanding the pathology, early symptoms, and disease course... Although there is still no cure or preventive intervention, some treatments – notably anti-depressant medications – can help ameliorate behavioral problems resulting from a frontotemporal disorder...
Frontotemporal Dementia Initially Misdiagnosed As Psychotic Disorder: A Case Report; Taral Sharma, MD, MBA; First published in Psychiatry Weekly, Volume 7, Issue 2; January 23, 2012.
[misdiagnosis law enforcement public safety Maine state politics fronto temporal lobar degenerative disease]
Gun charge dropped against trooper with brain disease
ReplyDeleteVillageSoup Belfast
By Jay Davis
Nov 27, 2007
AUGUSTA - Charges against Maine State Police Trooper Mark Coleman of Montville were dismissed Oct. 30, by the Attorney General's Office because Coleman has been diagnosed with a brain disease that apparently affected his actions.
Coleman, a 10-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was arrested Sept. 21 for allegedly waving his service revolver during a public event in Brooks. He was released on $1,000 bail.
A letter to Court Clerk Terri Curtis in Belfast from Assistant Attorney General William Baghdoyan requested the charge of reckless conduct with a firearm be dropped, and Coleman's bail bond returned.
Baghdoyan said medical tests showed Coleman was “not responsible for his actions.”
An accompanying letter from Coleman's attorney, Walter McKee, said Coleman had returned from six months' leave on the day of the incident in Brooks. He had been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, McKee said, and been medically cleared to return to work.
Following the incident, McKee wrote, Coleman checked himself into Acadia Hospital in Bangor, where he underwent several tests, including an MRI.
Tests showed Coleman had both PTSD and frontotemporal dementia, an irreversible condition. The test disclosed brain atrophy that had shrunk the size of Coleman's brain “at an alarming rate,” McKee said.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said Coleman was placed on administrative leave after the Brooks incident and remains in that status.
VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen Senior Reporter Jay Davis can be reached at 207-338-0484 or by e-mail at jdavis@villagesoup.com.
http://knox.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=104199
Feel free to add whatever you want here about the disease.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for respecting my request about the picture and I greatly appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteVery Respectfully,
CDT Joshua Coleman
USMA 2014
I was a Dispatcher in Augusta and use to work with Mark. Something made me think of him this evening so I googled his name. I found his obituary, I didn't know he'd passed away. To his wife, Martha and his sons; it was a pleasure working with Mark, he was a Gentleman, I'm so very sorry for your loss, your loss is everyones loss he was a wonderful person.
ReplyDeleteTina John
Cop Accused of Attacking Woman in Wheelchair Gets Bail
ReplyDeletePosted by Anthony Heath on
October 29, 2012
A Robbinsville police officer who attacked a woman in a wheelchair and her child in their home last month has a neurological disorder characterized by calcium deposits on his brain, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday...
http://www.latenightinthemidlands.com/profiles/blogs/cop-accused-of-attacking-woman-in-wheelchair-gets-bail